May I ask you a question? A large-scale experiment examining the effectiveness of a multimodal, conversational digital dietitian on nutritional knowledge in virtual reality
Dietitians play a key role in health care, but a shortage of well-trained professionals is looming. Wageningen University & Research is therefore exploring an immersive digital dietitian: in VR, patients learn about portions, energy density and food preparation by preparing virtual meals themselves. The central question is whether the virtual dietitian's conversational abilities and non-verbal communication - asking questions, gestures, facial expressions - further strengthen the learning effect.
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EGG: Hoe een immersieve kunst beleving over transitie doorwerkt in het dagelijks leven van mensen en groepen in een wijk
EGG is a large-scale, sensory, interactive and learning art installation in the shape of an egg that invites encounter and conversation about societal system transitions. The sculpture has a smooth, organic form. Visitors can lean against it, climb on it and move around it freely. They can experience, through their senses, the 'hatching process' of an unknown, fictional creature inside the egg. Using augmented reality (AR) and sensor technology, EGG responds to heat, light and sound. This creates a responsive and partly unpredictable system that prompts spontaneous encounters and conversations among bystanders about transitions in the neighbourhood. In carrying out the project and the research, the Public Values Guideline for Immersive Experiences (CIIIC) is used as a framework for the careful handling of visitors, data and societal impact. Art and performance can have substantial effects on empathy, meaning-making and shifts in perspective (Brown & Novak-Leonard, 2011; Broadhead & Hooper, 2024; Norton, 2015). Knowledge about how such experiences carry over into everyday behaviour, social relationships and neighbourhood-based transition practices (Spaas, 2024; Horvath et al., 2025) is, however, limited. This research addresses the question: how do the installation and its development over time resonate through people and through neighbourhood-based transition processes (Vervoort et al., 2020)? And how can the effects of human-art interaction be understood in terms of values, relationships and community formation (scaling deep), as a basis for a meaningful translation to other contexts (scaling out) (Fraser, 2010 & 2023; Moore et al., 2015)? The research maps experiences, emotions, meanings and possible shifts in thinking and acting, and uses qualitative research to build on the data the installation generates: • EGG as Canvas: visitors leave written, drawn and material traces; • EGG Radio: a participatory platform where young people in particular discuss their experiences; • AR and sensor data: making interactions, attention and patterns of resonance visible.
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Exploring the Potential of VR for Decolonial Storytelling
A key focus of the CIIIC stimulus programme is public values. How do we ensure that IX applications are developed, applied and used responsibly? This theme runs as a common thread through all funded projects. The project by Inholland University of Applied Sciences (with, among others, the Nationaal Archief and the Koninklijke Bibliotheek) even focuses entirely on public values. Central to it is the question of how scriptwriters can responsibly develop cinematographic VR narratives about colonial histories and their repercussions in present-day society.
Responsible Immersive Support for Firefighter Retreat under Unreliable Spatial and Communication Information
Firefighters retreating from a building work under extreme time pressure, poor visibility and high mental load - precisely when positioning and communication can become unreliable. The University of Twente is investigating how immersive systems can make that uncertainty visible and understandable, so that digital cues support decision-making without creating false certainty or placing an extra burden on users.
Gedeelde inzichten in interactionele en impactvolle XR
XR learning environments - such as VR simulations and interactive training scenarios - are increasingly used in health care, communication, safety and public services. They help professionals practise difficult conversations, analyse complex situations and experiment safely with new behaviour. Despite this growth, it is not yet sufficiently clear which didactic and design choices make these environments effective, inclusive and responsible. The project Gedeelde inzichten in interactionele en impactvolle XR investigates how immersive learning environments can be designed to support learning, reflection and meaningful professional practice. The focus is not on the technology, but on the experience of users: how they navigate, interpret, process feedback and gain insight into digital decision-making processes. Together with XR creators and partners from the health care and public sectors, we analyse existing applications - such as VR-Gedeelde Smart and the BEP environments - and gather experiences from designers, health care professionals, communication advisers and environmental analysts. We build on existing, long-used XR learning environments and a proven collaboration, so that we do not need to develop new technology and can devote resources fully to research, analysis and validation. By linking their practical knowledge to insights from conversation analysis, user experience design, adoption theories and smart education, we develop and validate a set of generic design and didactic principles for effective and responsible XR learning environments. These principles address, among other things, clarity, interaction, reflection, accessibility and value-conscious design. The results yield scalable knowledge for the broad XR sector: from design studios and public organisations to educators working with immersive technology. In doing so, the project contributes to a more responsible and inclusive use of XR in society and offers concrete tools for digital decision-making and complex communication.